Anne Cosgrove

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Anne Cosgrove

Nia White Belt Teacher

Bishop Auckland, United Kingdom

I love to move to music and for the past 20 or so years, I've been an enthusiastic Irish Set Dancer, attending, teaching and organising classes and workshops in the UK and abroad. When looking for something to keep me sufficiently strong, fit and mobile so I could continue dancing for at least the next 20 years, I came across an article about Nia in 2009.

What hit me was that Nia included elements of dance, yoga (which I knew would help me) and Tai Chi (recommended by a friend) and I knew I wanted to give it a try. But there was nobody teaching it anywhere near where I lived in Co. Durham, or indeed in the whole of the North East of England. In a flash of inspiration, I realised that if I wanted to attend classes, I was going to have to teach Nia myself. I looked for the nearest teacher training and the following day did the two-hour drive to Carlisle to take my first class.

I did White Belt in late 2009 with Helen Terry, but it was still a year before I started teaching my first regular class. Once I started teaching regularly, I found that my wrists which had been stiff and sore from arthritis, improved dramatically, enabling me to do press-ups for the first time in at least 25 years. As I've continued on my Nia journey, I realise that Nia is so much more than a way of keeping fit and I look forward to discovering more of the magic in the years to come.

I'm now teaching several times a week in Co. Durham and Darlington and love being invited to provide taster sessions in an effort to spread the word about Nia in the North East. If you're in the North East, come and join me at a class. I'd love to meet you or if you think your group or association would like to know more, visit my website and get in touch!